BEIJING was battered by its strongest storm in a decade last Saturday afternoon. The heavy rainfall flooded roads and led to the collapse of six houses. Two local people were injured and serious traffic jams were caused downtown.

　　The rains started at 4:00pm and continued for two to three hours throughout the city. The storm dropped more than 50mm of rainfall on the downtown area and by 9:00pm average rainfall across town had reached 73mm.

　　The Zizhuyuan area in the west of Beijing suffered the heaviest rainfall, with precipitation reaching 125mm.

　　The heavy rain brought traffic to a stop for about five hours. The flooding in Lianhuaqiao area, also in the west of Beijing, was worst, with the water reached a depth of over 1.5 metres. Four public buses and several cars were nearly swallowed by the water.

　　In Xicheng District, an electricity pole was toppled by the storm and two guards were injured after receiving electric shocks from power cables. Many cars were nearly submerged and trapped in the water causing serious traffic jams at crossroads.

　　The storm also led to subsidence on some streets. On Zhanlan Lu, a section of road suddenly collapsed leaving a 20-metre-long and 50cm-deep trench. The rain quickly filled the hole and at least 10 people stumbled into it.

　　Over 3,440 houses in the old city began leaking seriously and at least 1,800 vehicles were badly damaged during the rain.

　　The obsolete drainage system should be the first target of blame, according to experts. In some areas, the drainage pipes were designed before the country's Liberation in 1949. Sources with the Beijing Anti-flood and Drought Headquarters said the present drainage equipment could only deal with flooding of a kind likely every five years, Beijing Evening News reported.

　　In some places, the city planning construction hasn't been carried out according to plans, resulting in inferior drainage and in traffic problems.

　　In some areas, rainfall and sewage use the same pipes, which directly affects the drainage of heavy rain.

　　Experts said the sudden storm had posed a tough test to the city's ability to forecast natural disasters and respond to them effectively. Experts suggested Beijing should take note of the precaution systems existing in Western countries and set up its own disaster precaution system to better safeguard the public.

　　(Star News)